If in doubt, staple a £20 note to your exam paper

Don't do that. It's a bad idea.

It's that time of year again where Year 11's across the country finally come to life and realise two weeks before their exams that they should probably do something... Maybe... to avoid exam disaster. Revision sessions suddenly double in size and miracles are performed as students memorise entire specifications and then ace the exam.

Or something like that.

In reality, what can you do in these last few weeks to improve your chances of passing or, better still, doing well? The good news is it genuinely isn't too late to make serious improvements to your knowledge and ability to do well... If you start now.

The plan, then, is this:

• Prioritise learning definitions. These are the easiest things to learn and worth the most marks in the exam as they are usually the beginning of every answer you need.
  • How? Make flash cards, visit the glossary of terms page, get someone to test you over and over again until you can parrot the answers back.
• Learn the sacred laws of CS exam technique and stick to them!!
  • Do NOT just write any old nonsense in your answers
  • Do NOT write lots and think that will somehow get marks from some spectacular spray of knowledge bullets at each question.
  • DO write your answers in the "what is it, how does it work/explain what that means, give an example related to the question" format as discussed in the GCSE exam technique page.
  • DO structure your long answer questions in the exact same way as all other questions - just do it 3-4 times! No waffle, no writing as much as you can
• Finally, do some past paper questions to get this technique dialled in your head.

Realistically, at this stage of the year that's about all you can do, but the difference it could make is incredible.

Some final advice:

• Above all - avoid stress, realise it is not the end of your life if you fail your exams and that you're far more likely to do poorly if all your energy is wasted on blind panic.
• Don't discuss your revision with friends - they'll make you worry you're not doing enough (you know whether you're doing enough or not).
• When you arrive at an exam, realise that you know what you know and there is nothing you can do to improve your knowledge any more at that point. Go in, give it your best and acknowledge that you're only human and it's not uncommon to forget things!
• When you leave the exam, try not to worry about other people talking about the answers - they may be right... or wrong! You'll find out in August and there's nothing you can do about it once you leave the exam room.

I don't envy you lot. Good luck and don't let us pressure you - if you can walk out of each exam knowing full well you prepared yourself as much as you could, did the best you could in the exam on that day, then you will do yourself justice and you can have no regrets and a clear conscience.